Police looking for 3 suspects linked to fatal abuse of 16-year-old

MELAKA: Police are on the lookout for three suspects, including a teenager's uncle, over the alleged abuse of a 16-year-old boy which resulted in his death on Monday.

It all began when the Form Four student from Taman Tangkak Jaya was rushed to the Melaka Hospital unconscious and he could not be revived even with Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) performed on him on Dec 4 night.

A video of the boy badly whipped with a pipe hose surfaced on Facebook on Tuesday (Dec 5).

The caption claimed that it was the case of the teenage boy who was 'taught' a lesson for stealing his grandfather's money.

A picture combo from video grabs showing the teen being abused.

During a press conference here, Melaka Tengah deputy police chief Superintendent Mohd Kamal Zainal said investigations were underway to probe the case which was under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

"The deceased boy hailed from Tangkak living with his mother and a younger sister.

"Investigations revealed that the victim was taken from his residence in Tangkak to a workshop in Krubong (where he was allegedly beaten) and (rushed to the) Melaka Hospital where he died.

"We also believe that the case which went viral on Facebook involved family ties or relatives," he said.

He said the boy, who had old scars and lesions at both his arms and back, estimated to be about a week old, was found unconscious at a bus stop in Ayer Keroh and rushed to the Melaka Hospital by two members of the public.

"We have identified three suspects, aged 32, 35 and 38. One of the suspects is the victim's 32-year-old maternal uncle who is also a lorry driver, and we urge them to come to the nearest police station or the Melaka Tengah IPD to give their statements," he said.

The suspects were J Visvanathan, 32, from Tangkak, Johor, and two others, K Shanmuganatan, 35, and N Thiagu, 38, from Melaka.

He said police were investigating the relationship of two other suspects with the victim.

He added the post mortem had been completed but the cause of death had yet to be determined, pending laboratory tests.

On the motive for the murder, he said police believed that it was due to family dispute but declined to comment further whether the victim was beaten because he had stolen a family member's money.

"Based on our interview with the victim's mother, a relative had probably tried to persuade the deceased into saying something but it went out of hand.

The victim lived with his divorced mother, a 42-year-old factory worker, and his 14-year-old sister.

His mother went to the Melaka Hospital upon receiving a call that her son had died.

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Police are on the lookout for three suspects, including a teenager's uncle, over the alleged abuse of a 16-year-old boy which resulted in his death on Monday. Pic by NSTP/KHAIRUNISAH LOKMAN